Concussed
by nicksfriend
Summary: Spoiler Warning. Post episode for Nature of the Beast.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Concussed**

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to CBS, and the rest of those great people who act, write and direct.**

**Description: Spoiler Warning. This is a post episode follow up to Nature of the Beast. Just a quickie one shot.**

**Hospital**

Dr Cranston was worried, Tony looked exhausted.

Gibbs also saw what Rachel was seeing and he decided that his second had experienced enough for one night. "DiNozzo get some sleep." he gave him a firm squeeze to his right shoulder, knowing that the left shoulder was probably in a world of hurt.

He then turned and left, he had to notify Fornell of Stratton posing as a federal agent and to get a BOLO out on the man who had murdered Cade and probably EJ. He also needed to get a security detail at DiNozzo's door, if he was correct then Tony's life might be in danger.

Rachel closed the door as Gibbs left the room, she was worried. Tony looked pale, exhausted. "Tony, you need to get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a long day." She knew Tony would have to repeat the story to the Sec Nav and the Director.

Tony stood silent, not moving, starring out the window, the cast of the lights off the buildings causing a dark shadow to cross Tony's face, or was it caused by what Tony had suddenly realized? The realization that he had been used again.

He shook his head and turned, the tear tracks on his pale face evident even in the dimly lit room, the tears that had threatened to fall all night. Tony had finally succumbed to the pain that had eluded him all night, the memory of EJ dying before his very eyes.

He had seen her get shot, he could visualize the blood stain on her jacket, that even in the dark alley he could recognize as a kill shot. The bullet had entered just beneath her left breast.

" Tony, you need to sleep." Dr Cranston's voice was low and caring. She was worried, the amnesia, the concussion was taking a huge toll on a man whose emotions were already on edge.

"I am tired." his voice barely audible, a matter of fact tome to the words he had just spoken.

She knew he was not talking physically tired, but mentally. Though he was probably both given that he had spent months tracking down Cade and EJ.

His body slumped as he moved towards the bed, it was as if suddenly Tony had realized the inevitable truth, he had realized, that he had been used again by the people who call themselves leaders at NCIS, the people he trusted the most. _' I guess Jarvis was right, he does own me._' he thought to himself, not speaking the hated words aloud.

"Tony." her voice just barely above a whisper. She was concerned, afraid for the man whom Kate had cared so much about so many years ago.

" They used me Rachel they used me to set up Cade and EJ. They would still be alive if I hadn't convinced EJ to assist me in getting Cade to return." he paused a few minutes, his hands rubbing furiously at his face, a small voice inside his head stating what he was feeling inside, _" I killed them."_

"That's nonsense. They set up not only Cade and Agent Barrett but you too Tony." she walked over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, encouraging him to sit down on the edge of the bed. " You could have died too."

" You don't get it, I caused their deaths, they used me because I don't think with my head but with my..."

" Tony stop! You know that isn't true, but it is what they want you to believe." she corrected him.

"I allowed it...again." a look of pain crossed his face, his mind flashing back to Jenny and how he had suffered after that mission, he not only lost Jeanne but a part of his soul. And for what? So Jenny could get her revenge?

"They shot you and as a afterthought they attempted to frame you for the murder but what they didn't take into consideration is that you work with the best team around, they figured it out and it didn't even take them that long." Dr Cranston continued, wanting to convince her patient that he had no control over what had occurred. He had been used.

"Ducky and Abby are the best at what they do." He stated it as a matter of fact.

"Especially when one of their friends is involved." Rachel responded.

Tony sat in silence for a few minutes, then he spoke again, " It was too easy. Abby could have went through the forensics with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back, Ducky could have easily ascertained that my bullets weren't the kill shots. It doesn't make sense." he was suddenly back on his feet, pacing the room again.

"Tony, you need to rest." Dr Cranston's eyes followed his nervous movements around the room. A new concern for her patient starting to make her worried about Tony's well being, his concussion was probably the cause but his agitation was raising flags, he could have a bleed or swelling of the brain, she needed the nurse to assess him. Her fingers found the call light and she pushed the red button.

" Why move Cade and EJ's bodies, if they wanted to frame me for their murders? It doesn't make sense, they would have figured it out too easily. They would have known that I didn't move the bodies. What were they doing? Who called 911?" he was rambling attempting to make some kind of sense of what he was thinking. "It doesn't add up. Where's Gibbs?" he asked nervously, acting as if he suddenly realized that his boss was missing.

"Tony, listen, I will get Agent Gibbs if you will lie back down." Dr Cranston kept her voice firm and in control. She was worried about Tony's emotional state, and his physical well being, his body had been through a major trauma, he had to be in pain but his adrenaline was still flowing and she had to figure a way to convince him to rest.

He nodded then walked back to the bed and laid down, his robe had been placed in a white bag after he had thrown up on it earlier, the nurse had told him vomiting was a side effect of the concussion and so was the disequilibrium that he was experiencing.

"I need to talk to Gibbs." he looked up at the woman who had assisted him in remembering, but now he needed to make sense of what had happened in that alley. Why had they used him to get to Cade and EJ? Did they think he was that stupid, that he was that bad of an agent that he wouldn't figure it out? Hell, he hadn't.

"I will call Agent Gibbs but I need you to close your eyes and rest while we wait for him to come back." she gave him a smile, hoping that he would comply.

Tony nodded and closed his eyes, but the unpleasant thoughts still raced through his mind, he needed to know why they felt he was so incompetent that they knew their plan was assured to succeed. He was a good agent, his skills were excellent but his weakness had always been that he cared, that he got to close sometimes.

The doctor walked across the room and dialed Agent Gibbs' number, she would need his assistance in getting Tony to rest before he caused himself to have a seizure or even worse.

Tony watched as the doctor dialed the number and listened as she quietly talked to Gibbs. He was so tired, so very tired. He closed his eyes, he would rest until his boss returned.

The nurse entered the room, a look of concern on her face, her patient was not resting, he seemed more restless than the last time she had seen him, "Agent DiNozzo are you in pain?" she asked as she brought in the vital sign machine.

"I'm fine." he mumbled as he eyed the nurse suspiciously, not really wanting to be bothered.

She nodded and then started taking his vitals noting both his temperature and blood pressure were elevated. She then proceeded to assess his neuro status. "Can you tell me where you are?"

"Not again." he groaned.

"This will only take a few minutes, so can you tell me where you are?" she asked again, she needed to make sure the restlessness she was seeing wasn't anything to be concerned about.

"A hospital." he went the quick and easy route, truth was he couldn't remember the name of the facility.

"Okay, can you tell me your birthday?" her eyes assessing her patient's avoidance of answering her questions, just as he had the last few times she had done her assessment.

He hesitated, searching his brain for the answer, but for some reason it wouldn't come, "I don't remember." he came clean, ,maybe being honest was the best way to go.

She gave him a small smile and nodded, "One last question, can you tell me your name?"

"Tony DiNozzo." he gave her a look that could be construed as one to see if he actually got it right.

"Very good. I'm going to get you something for pain and nausea." she could tell he was having problems by the color of his face, and the grimace when he attempted any movement.

"I am sure Agent Gibbs told someone that Agent DiNozzo is very sensitive to drugs, especially narcotics." Dr Cranston wanted to make sure that they knew, she had heard how bad of a reaction Tony could have to even the simplest of medications.

" Yes, he did Dr Cranston , I'm going to give him Toradol and Zofran, they have less side effects than most of the pain medications and emetics as I know you are well aware.

The doctor nodded and gave the nurse an approving smile, at least someone was watching out for their friend.

As the nurse started to exit the room Gibbs entered, he was responding to Rachel's call, Tony was having a difficult time.

"How is he?" He asked the smaller statured nurse.

"He is still having some difficulty remembering. I'm going to talk with his physician, I'll be back in a few minutes with something for his pain and nausea." she smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder then left the room.

"Is he sleeping?" Gibbs asked Rachel as he started to make his way over to Tony's bed.

"Pretending." she stated matter of factly, the man couldn't pull a fast one on her, she had been a psychiatrist for too long.

"Just resting my eyes boss." he kept them closed, wanting to talk to his boss, without someone there to analyze his every word, though he liked and trusted Dr Cranston he wanted some alone time with his boss to discuss the case, he needed to let Gibbs know what he had figured out.

Gibbs turned and gave the doctor a look, one that communicated that he needed to talk to Tony alone, again.

"I need some more coffee, I'll be back in a few." she smiled and exited the room.

Gibbs walked over to stand by Tony, "She's gone."

For a few moments Tony was quiet, but then when he knew he had his emotions under control he opened up his eyes and saw concerned blue orbs starring down at him, his voice cracked when he started to speak but he recovered quickly, "They used us boss. Well, actually, they used me, again. I must have a huge bullseye on my forehead that says _'I'm an idiot'. _He remained quiet for a few more seconds then continued, "Boss, please, just kick my ass, I need it."

"Oh I plan on it DiNozzo." he reached over and pulled up a chair. "At least we have the microchip."

"But at what cost boss? Cade and EJ died for it, that was too steep of a price." his head turned towards the window, he found it difficult to face his mentor at the moment, he had willingly taken the assignment, willingly taken the mission that ended up in two NCIS agent's deaths, and that made him just as culpable.

"It was DiNozzo, but it could have been worse." Gibbs responded.

"How's that Boss?" he asked, the emotion straining his already tired voice.

"It could've been you." he spoke the words keeping his emotions intact, he hoped that Tony didn't see through his mask, see that he cared about him like a son, but he did, and he was glad that Tony was alive, even though he was still mad as hell at him for getting shot.

Tony nodded, he understood.

The door opened and the room lit up suddenly, and the nurse who had just minutes before performed his neurological assessment had returned with a syringe and a doctor.

"You might not remember me Agent DiNozzo but I admitted you in the Emergency Room tonight." he reached out and shook Tony's hand.

"I'm feeling better." he wanted to make sure that the man knew he was improving, it possibly could assist the serious look on the man's face, and might keep the nurse with the syringe away from his behind.

"I have some concerns, I just want to take a look at you if I may." he reached over and pulled out a pair of gloves from the wall holder and stepped closer to his patient, Gibbs stood to exit the room, wanting to give the doctor and DiNozzo some privacy.

Tony was compliant as the doctor asked him questions, of which he still was having difficulty answering and tolerant as he shined a very bright light into his very sensitive eyes, he hated the routine, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to leave.

"I'm going to get a follow up scan. I just want to make sure that we aren't missing anything but Anna is going to give you a shot of pain medication and something for nausea, hopefully it will assist you in getting some sleep also." the doctor ungloved and started to leave but he took the chart lying on the table and wrote several orders and then handed it to the nurse, a serious look crossed his face, he seemed concerned.

The doctor left the room as the nurse gloved and pulled out the medication and her scanner. She scanned his bracelet and asked him his name which he answered without a problem but he hated needles. He had requested that the IV be removed as soon as he awakened, now he regretted that action, that request.

"I need you to roll on your side Agent DiNozzo." she requested but seemed a little surprised that her patient didn't comply right away.

Gibbs had reentered as the doctor exited and knew that Tony had a problem with needles, so he stepped forward and grabbed Tony's shoulder with a firm grip, to Tony it was the same as someone holding his hand, he then complied with the nurse's request and rolled to his side, feeling the gown being pulled away and the cold wet swipe of the alcohol pad as it touched sensitive skin, the needle quickly entered and the medication made its way into the muscle.

"I hate needles boss." he said it low enough for only Gibbs to hear.

"I know Tony. I know." he gave his second another squeeze to his good shoulder.

" We're going to take you on over to CT." Anna started removing the call light and unplugging things from the wall, they would be taking him down in his bed.

"I'm going with him. " Gibbs announced, knowing that Stratton could still be in the hospital.

The nurse nodded, seeing the close relationship the two men had, there was a bond there, a father /son or a big brother/ little brother, Regardless of what it was, it was nice to see. She and a CNA started moving the bed towards the door, Gibbs at their side when Dr Cranston reappeared.

"Where's he going?" she asked, coffee for her and Gibbs in hand.

"CT." He gave the short answer and took his coffee, it was going to be a long day.

She nodded and followed Gibbs out the door and as they approached CT they noticed a man standing in the hallway, facing the door, Gibbs pushed his cup into Rachel's hand and pulled out his gun, it was instinctive.

" Turn around!" Gibbs commanded the man who stood still, not moving. Gibbs raised his gun, now standing in front of Tony's bed, his patience waning for the man to respond.

The man, after a few minutes, turned, and lifted his hands into the air, " So he is alive, who would have thought, he looked rather dead in that alley."

" Place your face against the wall!" Gibbs commanded, but at that moment a loud bang came from the other end of the hallway, which made Gibbs turn, just in time to see an exit door closing on the other end of the hallway, a distraction, because when Gibbs turned back to the man against the wall, he was gone. The man and his accomplice was gone.

Gibbs pulled out his cell and dialed quickly, he would not leave Tony's side, if they were capable of this diversion, then they might have other things planned for his second and he couldn't take that chance, he would not take that chance.

The nurse and the CNA had crouched over their patient protectively as did Rachel, now emptied coffee cups laid on the floor with their contents making a small puddle.

"Should we do the scan?", Anna asked Gibbs, looking for some kind of confirmation.

"Yeah, but we do not leave him alone." Gibbs answered as he continued a conversation on the other end of the phone line. They needed back up, the team needed to be there for their friend.

They nodded and proceeded towards the scanning room, Tony was asleep on the bed, oblivious to what had just occurred, oblivious to the fact that they, whoever they were, wanted him dead.

**This is where I am going to end it for now unless the readers want another chapter. Hope you enjoy. I for one, think they still want Tony dead as well as EJ, if she isn't dead already. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Concussed**

When Tony was able to open his eyes which seemed to be glued together by something sticky, he looked around and noted mentally that he was back in his room, and someone different was by his bedside. Actually, as his vision improved from blurry to less blurry he saw that there were several people in his small hospital room.

He eventually was able to focus his eyes, finally able to see his partner/ partners at his bedside.

He looked over to his right and saw Tim," Are you my new babysitter McNurse?" his voice was slurred, his head was pounding and he needed to take a piss.

"You okay Tony?" A surprised and very concerned McGee asked as he reached for a cup of water for his friend.

"Yeah, I think I am." He slowly sat up in the bed and took the cup of water, assisted by Tim, he attempted to take a few sips of the room temperature liquid. He had learned years ago to take those sips slowly or you end up gagging, coughing, and then you eventually vomit, so he took it real slow.

He handed the cup back to Tim and closed his eyes, "Where's Gibbs?" he asked, missing his mentor, who had been there since he arrived in the emergency room.

" Here." Gibbs responded, he was sitting at the end of the bed in the chair that had been vacated by Dr Cranston.

Tony nodded, he felt better knowing that his boss was there, he then noted several other things, Cranston was gone but in her place was, Abby, who was now asleep on the window sill covered with a hospital issued white cotton blanket. Ziva, had taken residence up in the chair to his left, he could hear her snoring. and Tim, who seemed to be keeping guard, sat in the chair to his right.

His NCIS family were all present and accounted for except for Ducky, but if his gut was correct the man was probably out in the hallway talking to his doctor. For the first time in weeks he felt safe and loved.

"How's your head feel DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, as he stood and stretched.

He wanted to say _like hell_ but that would get him a crowd of medical personnel at his bed and another shot in his ass. "Better." he lied, bit in all actuality he felt worse, even a day of sleep and a bottle full of aspirin wouldn't touch the pain in his chest and head.

"Right." Gibbs knew his second well and didn't actually expect a truthful answer and he didn't get it.

"McGee, outside." Gibbs ordered, he wanted to check with Fornell's team, see if there were any updates, to check and see if they had located Agent Barrett's body yet or if the BOLO had assisted in locating Stratton. They had pulled the hospital security tapes and now they were being viewed by the FBI.

McGee looked over to his friend, " I'll be back in a few minutes Tony."

Tony nodded in understanding, he appreciated what they were doing. Though the slight movement of his head aroused the sleeping nausea, and before he could reach the yellow bowl which sat on his bed he retched and vomited up the water he had just taken, this continued even after his stomach had emptied all of its contents.

Ziva and Abby were there immediately, soothing him with comforting words as he continued vomiting/wretching, his head felt like it was splitting with each stomach wrenching spasm. Gibbs and Tim were onlookers to Tony's suffering, both men stood at the foot of the bed feeling helpless.

It took several minutes for the spell to finally come to an end but when it did Tony was left sweaty and short of breath, he felt horrible. How could a bullet, stopped by a bullet proof vest, cause so much pain, and what the hell did he hit his head against? Oh yeah, _asphalt._

They must have been talking to him for a while because when he finally answered they all looked relieved. " What? Did I miss something?"

Ziva couldn't help but to feel bad for the man in the bed, this man who had worried them all night with his nightmares and his tossing and turning." We were just worried Tony." she answered, attempting to wipe away some of the sweat from his forehead with a hand cloth.

" I will get Tony a new gown and some towels." Abby announced as she left the room with McGee in tow, he was glad to leave, he hated to see Tony suffer.

Gibbs stood in the corner of the room, he would talk to Fornell later, but for now he felt he needed to stay in his second's room, if for nothing else, to make sure Tony was going to be okay.

Ziva looked down at her partner and gave him a small smile, " I believe I told you to be... careful." she punctuated the word _careful._

He looked up into her eyes, his own filled with sadness, " I wore my vest." He inwardly wished that he didn't have to explain himself, he did what he did, he did it for Jarvis, he did it because he had orders and as an agent he followed those orders, now he regretted it, wished he had seen that it was all a ploy, but he couldn't turn back the hands of time, he just had to live with the consequences of his actions. He attempted to clear his throat that was irritated from the bile almost gagging at the attempt. The back of his throat burned and his chest felt as if he had been punched.

" That was a very smart decision Tony. It did save your life." She patted his cheek, giving him a look that told him that he had scared her.

Tony reached up and squeezed her arm, her hands became busy untying the emesis stained gown, as they awaited Abby's return with the nurse, clean linen, a gown and some towels. She could not show her emotions for her partner.

The door opened and in walked not only Abby but a crowd of medical people, and that included Tony's doctor, who looked as if had been put through the wringer himself.

" We need a few minutes with our patient." Dr Price announced, his eyes already doing a visual assessment of his patient.

The room cleared, each of the team members filing out into the hallway, including Gibbs.

" Tony did have a scan early this morning, yes?" Ziva asked as she started pacing the hallway.

" The doctor said that the scan did show a slight increase in swelling of the right frontal lobe and that they would continue to watch his neurological status." Gibbs explained as he pulled out his cell to call Fornell. He had a meeting at eleven with the Sec Nav and Vance, he would have to have to leave for a little while, he just hoped that Tony would be safe as well as the rest of his team. Whoever killed Cade meant business and that worried him.

Twenty minutes later the doctor exited the room along with the rest of the staff including the nurse. She waved them back into the room where they found a very quiet patient.

" You okay Tony?" Ziva asked as she took her position to the left of his bed.

" His stethoscope was cold and the nurse wants to give me a bed bath. Everything is just peachy." The sarcasm in his voice evident to all in the room, except for Gibbs.

Gibbs knew Tony was hiding something and he would make sure to get to the bottom of what was bothering his second later.

" What's wrong Tony? You love bed baths, especially when a beautiful woman is involved." Tim asked, confused as to Tony's new attitude.

"I just want to go home and watch movies on my television set,lying in my bed." he pushed back the clean blanket and threw his legs over the edge, his fresh clean gown needing an adjustment which he quickly took care of but not before Abby got a sneak peak.

" Wooo, Tony you have a nice ass." Abby smiled at Tony and gave him a seductive look as she assisted in pulling the back of his gown back together.

"Abs...boss in the room." Tony's eyebrows went up, and his cheeks went red.

Gibbs interrupted the banter, "Where you going DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he approached the bed, wanting to stop Tony's attempt of getting out of it.

"To the head." he then attempted to stand, but a wave of dizziness hit and he almost lost his balance.

" Tony, you're too unsteady to attempt to get up. Remember the nurse telling you it wasn't a good idea." Ziva admonished her partner.

" I have to pee Zivvvva. I can not lay down and get the job done so I am going to the bathroom." He sounded irritable to the others, and they could not help but to wonder what the doctor had told their friend.

Gibbs walked over and placed an arm around Tony, Tim automatically went to the other side and they assisted their friend to the bathroom, the women exited the room to give Tony his privacy.

When he reached the small room he noticed that the two men continued to stand by his side, "I don't need anymore assist guys, I can handle this part on my own." He wanted to convey his appreciation but he hated feeling so helpless, he just wanted to go home but according to his physician that wasn't going to happen today due to the scan results, he hated hospitals and he really hated needles but he was going to get a new IV courtesy of his inability to keep anything down.

Gibbs nodded and walked outside the door, as did Tim, but he didn't close it, he needed to make sure that his second didn't fall and increase his chances of having permanent brain damage.

Tony closed his eyes and attempted to concentrate on the past twenty-four hours, something wasn't right and he couldn't remember what it was but it was nibbling at his gut and he needed to figure out what had happened, things weren't adding up.

Tim walked across the room as did Gibbs, "Boss is Tony going to be okay?" he asked, worried about his friend.

Gibbs honestly didn't know this time, he hadn't seen much of Tony for the past few months, and when he had returned he seemed different, darker, sadder. "We'll see."

Tony reached down and flushed the toilet, the signal for the other two men to return to assist him to a chair, hopefully. He hated lying in a hospital bed, something he had despised during his stay with the plague, having to be assisted even in the smallest of tasks, he hated it,

As Tony washed his hands he again could feel the presence of the two men behind him, " You have a meeting boss?"

"At eleven." he answered as he assisted Tony back into the room past the chair and towards the bed, Tony could'nt help but to feel deflated, he hated that bed.

"Can I sit in the chair?" he asked, his voice almost pleading.

"Nope, the nurse said you needed to stay in the bed until you are able to walk without falling." he returned, placing a firm hand on Tony's shoulder, their eyes met and he finished, "They don't know you like we do DiNozzo."

"You mean that I am determined and will heal quickly, boss" He smiled, feeling Gibbs felt the same way.

"I mean that you are too stubborn for your own good." he pushed Tony down into a sitting position on the side of the bed, "And it means if you don't do what the nurses tell you then you will have to deal with me,"

The message was clear, "Yes, boss, gotcha boss." he leaned back into the pillow and closed his eyes and awaited the tortorous device to arrive. He hated IV's.

**Things that have me going "Hmmmm." First, why is Tony acting so nervous when Gibbs enters the room, noticed it in Restless and Penelope's Papers. Also, he mentions something about his head, memory and headache in all three episodes. I also have a hard time believing that Stratton and EJ don't have something going on together. Did EJ give Gibbs the real microchip? So many other things that have me going crazy.**

**Okay, I have to thank each and every one of you for such a great response so henceforth, another chapter. I will get our agent out soon, he needs some Daddy Gibbs time. By the way, where is Ducky?**


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of the machine working was the only sound in the room now, the intravenous pump hummed as it pushed the fluid into his vein, the sound was almost soothing except for the thought that if the vein collapsed he would have to get stuck again.

He hated needles, he hated hospitals. Maybe his childhood experiences and his brush with death when he had the plague had a lot to do with his phobias, and his dislike of anything regarding hospitals.

The others had filed out at the nurse's request, she wanted her patient to rest, and then she had assured that he would do just that by inserting something amazing into his intravenous line, amazing because it knocked him out in just a few seconds, only Michael Jackson could have appreciated such a drug.

He was lying on his left side facing the window when he awakened, the sky had turned dark again, it matched the mood he was feeling inside. He couldn't make sense of EJ's death, of Cade's death. His mind was unable to wrap around the reason they were used, but there had to be a reason. They used him for more that his connection with EJ. He had to figure it out.

Gibbs hadn't returned, his chair was still empty. His boss was probably delaying the bad news. Jarvis had probably fired his ass, he could invision Vance and the elder man drinking decade old bourbon, smoking Cuban cigars and celebrating the final nail that they had placed into his career.

He could not help but to ponder his alternatives to working as an agent, heck he had already failed the metro test, dirty cops were not his forte.

He could become a janitor, he was use to dealing with crap or he could get a job at a high end restaurant parking cars for elderly little women, he could definitely rake in the tips, older women did like him, even Ducky's mother had taken a liking to him after several drinks, of course. Better yet, he could manage being a used car salesman, he could make a mint based on his ability to bullshit.

He suddenly realized with a wave of pain that caused him to gasp that he was sore, his body ached from the fall to the asphalt, his chest throbbed from the 45 that hit his bullet proof vest. He decided that he should stretch out, attempt to get the kinks out of his upper body but the sting of the tape pulling at the IV site stopped his motions immediately. Nothing like getting a wad of arm hair pulled out with a piece of damned tape.

He heard the soumd of the door open but he didn't have to look over his shoulder to know that it was Ducky entering the room. He had been expecting him to show up, he knew he would after he saw his medical file, after he had talked to the doctor.

" My, my Anthony, you do know how to clear a room." he smiled over at the man in the bed, as he noted the now empty chairs, the darkness of the room.

"Well, it could have been that delicious vanilla pudding they serve, it's great going down but it really doesn't leave that come hither odor coming out." He gave Ducky his best attempt at humor, though his heart really wasn't in it.

Ducky glanced over at the dinner tray at his bedside, nothing had been touched. "You know Anthony, they will not allow you to leave until you are able to eat and to keep it down of course."

Damn, Ducky was astute, dammit, he would notice the untouched tray. " I hate hospital foodm especially the second time around." He hated vomiting and retching, his stomach muscles were still sore from his earlier bout. He continued to lay still, he didn't turn over, his body and his face still faced the window. He refused to see the look of pity on the man's face, it would be too much to absorb right now, he was too vulnerable right now.

The medical examiner took the vacated seat to his friend's right, Tony's chart in his hand. "When were you going to tell us Anthony?"

Tony closed his eyes, the one thing he had not wanted to talk about, but he knew that he would have to come clean with the man who had always cared for him as a grandson, but not today.

" Still trying to come to terms with it myself." His voice cracked, the emotional toll of the past few days coming to bare, it was the truth.

" You will need to tell Jethro soon son, he will start to notice the symptoms." Ducky looked over at the man in the bed, he felt for him, Tony had lost another woman whom he had loved, cared about. He knew the cumulation of events had really taken a mental toll on him this time, but what he had found in Tony's chart wasn't helping matters either, actually it was the icing on the emotional cake.

"Not yet." The serious tone of his voice made it clear to the doctor, he would do it in his own time, but today was not the day.

"Very well, but if I might offer some rather honest advice- don't wait too long. You will need the support of your friends, your family." The medical doctor then stood and walked towards the door, wanting to give the younger man his space, "I will be back in a while Anthony, do try to eat something in the mean time."

Tony knew that Ducky would keep his secret , but he didn't know for how long he would be able to hide the inevitable truth about his health. Gibbs saw everything.

**Gibbs House/Basement**

Gibbs starred down at the picture that held the true identity of the men who had used his second in command to do their dirty work. The box that was Frank's insurance policy held secrets that would assist him in getting revenge for what they had done to Tony. He knew that the men in the picture associated somehow with the men at the top of the food chain of NCIS.

He looked at the image of the man that Jarvis had trusted, Sean Latham who stood by the man called Stratton.

The photo also showed Captain Wright and Levin, along with several other men. The group of men were called the Phantom eight, Sean Latham its the leader. The man was also the leader of the Watcher's Fleet, an organization with more control of international matters than the Pentagon itself and then it was run by a man with more power than a President. A man who seemed to be as deceitful and untrustworthy as the enemies that they watched.

The thought that didn't escape him as he looked at the picture, that thought that they wanted his second dead and had done a pretty good job of killing the other two, Cade and EJ.

Abby had processed the scene, she had run the blood samples, EJ's was one of those and it was a large amount of blood that was left behind, she had to be dead, there was no way she could have walked away from that scene alive.

Tony had been lucky, maybe it was a last minute thought to frame him. It was a possibility. But, why didn't they kill him in the alley? Why did they plant Cade's badge on Tony? It had been a half way attempt of making it look legit, maybe they were buying some time to fulfill their real intentions. But what were their real intentions. It didn't make sense, not one bit.

He took the folder and placed it on the woodshop bench then placed the box of other folders back into safe keeping. How did Frank's know that this would be important later? How was Jarvis and Vance involved? He had to find the answers he had to find them soon before they made another attempt on DiNozzo's life.

He picked the folder up and started up the stairs, he needed to make sure Tony stayed safe, keep him close, but he couldn't allow him or anybody else to know what the folder contained. He would take care of it himself now that he had figured out Latham was as dirty as Stratton.

Sean Latham would be delivered.

**I know that it is a short chapter but I worked all weekend and I am soooo tired right now but I wanted to give you something to gnaw on for a day. I am so thankful for all the reviews and hopefully this week I can sit down and return my thanks to each of you. I hope you like this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

The night had passed without any additional problems. Gibbs hadn't returned to his room, or at least he didn't see him if he had during the night, though he was asleep. Actually he had slept most of the night due to the pharmaceuticals given by the nice nurse, whatever her name was, his memory was really playing tricks on him.

He had passed his last neurological exam with flying colors, even if he might have cheated a little bit, well, maybe a lot. His ID bracelet had all the information written on it, including his admission date. He just had to review it before the nurse came in to assess his neurological status every two hours, so far they were never early, but usually late due to their work load, it was working out pretty good.

He had awakened to the cafeteria service person delivering a tray for breakfast, now it was time for another little trick. He had to get rid of the food before the nurse arrived, otherwise he would not be able to leave the hospital and that was not going to happen again.

He slid his legs from underneath the sheet and sat up on the side of the bed, working on getting his balance. After he had gained his equilibrium he then went from sitting to standing without much difficulty, he had to be doing better, and he did feel somewhat better.

He made his way to the bathroom and emptied the tray of clear liquids into the toilet and flushed, this was way too simple of a plan. He returned to the bed,placed the empty tray back on the bedside table then returned lay down with his head against the backboard.

He did a quick glance at the bracelet just to make sure he would remember everything correctly. "Okay, I'm in the hospital, my name is Anthony DiNozzo, it's September and I got shot in the chest with a gun, my bullet proof vest stopped it and it left my chest in a world of hurt." Well, he would leave off the last part. The neuro test was a shoe in for a slam dunk.

He had timed it just right, at that very moment his nurse for dayshift made her appearance and smiled. "Agent DiNozzo how are you feeling this morning?"

He greeted her with a halfway smile and stated the lie perfectly, "Much better."

" My name is Abigail and I will be your nurse today. Actually I am a new grad and this is my first day at work." she gave him a hundred watt smile and glanced over at his breakfast tray. "You ate all of your breakfast. Any nausea or vomiting?"

"Nope, I feel great." he lied again, actually if he was a Catholic he would be needing a confession soon given all the deceiving he was accomplishing this morning.

"You sure about that DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice thundered across the room, ringing in Tony's ears. The man had been sitting in the dark corner of the room, had remained silent as he watched his second attempt to deceive the nurse.

Gibbs smiled and stood, he couldn't really blame DiNozzo for wanting to leave, he knew that if he was DiNozzo, he would probably would have done the same thing but had done it a lot better, he wouldn't have been caught.

"Dammit Gibbs, you could have given me a heart attack." He grabbed his chest and looked over at a the man who had watched him quietly dispose of the food and memorize his bracelet information.

The young nurse panicked though and hit the code button, she felt her patient was in trouble. She thought he said he was having chest pain and _that was a medical emergency. _She had learned what to do in nursing school, to hit the code button and to get the patient ready to be shocked with the defibrillator. Her hands were shaking as she hit the button and started untying the back of his gown.

"Just lie down Agent DiNozzo, I'll get assistance in just a few seconds." the young nurse started to pull down his gown and place the cardiac leads on his chest and the oxygen on his face, all the while Tony was attempting to tell her that he was fine.

"I'm fine. Really, I'm fine! Look No chest pain." he tried to convince whatever her name was, _dammit he had forgotten her name already_, but she continued treating him as if his heart had actually stopped.

"Gibbs! Help here!" Tony looked over at his boss for assistance but all that he saw was his boss enjoying his pain way too much.

"You're on your own DiNozzo." Gibbs was attempting to keep from laughing at his second's predicament, this would be a lesson learned for his second.

The room suddenly filled with medical personnel and Tony was treated as if he was actually having a real heart attack. The lab was drawing blood and respiratory was preparing to get blood gases, and the defibrillator was attached to his chest. He could be in trouble if his boss didn't speak up soon, he had suffered enough.

The FBI agent who had guarded his door through the night now stood inside the door way, watching those around his charge to make sure that he was kept safe.

Gibbs finally felt sorry for Tony and saw that he needed to intervene before they electrocuted him but suddenly he noted that one of the doctor's was acting a little strange, actually he was acting a little bit too strange, his gut was screaming that there was a problem.

" Excuse me." he tapped the man's shoulder, wanting to get the attention of the man facing Tony. As the man finally turned to face Gibbs, he recognized him from the picture of the Phantom Eight. Tony was in trouble.

Gibbs quickly reached for his gun, the FBI agent at the door caught the action and looked in the same direction of the man whom Gibbs had fixed on. The agent automatically drew his gun with his right hand and aimed at the man Agent Gibbs had trained his weapon trained on, the agent's free hand was hitting the radio, he was calling for assistance.

The man ignored their actions, he also ignored their commands, he acted as he was oblivious to the men with guns. Then without warning he acted and he acted swiftly, pulling the young nurse into a tight neck hold and a knife suddenly appeared from nowhere, the sharp edge against her throat.

"Nobody gets hurt if you allow me to exit the room." The man's calm demeanor was frightening for the woman in his grip. His tightened his grip around her neck, looking at the men with weapons drawn, the man in the bed was no threat.

Tony seemed a little lost at what Gibbs was thinking, but he trusted the man and knew if he had to, he would assist, he would get his ass kicked later, but he would assist.

Tony couldn't allow anything to happen to what's her name. '_Damn, what was her name?',_ he thought to himself as he readied himself to help his boss. These guys had killed EJ and Cade, he would not allow them to kill anybody else.

"Let her go. Don't make this difficult." Gibbs calmly spoke to the man not wanting to escalate the situation. He knew the man was trained, well trained, and he didn't want to cause the girl to get killed.

" DiNozzo...for the girl." he spoke the words directly to Gibbs, he wanted him to know that he knew who he was, Tony's boss, and to make it evident that no games would be played, all the NCIS agent had to do was give him the man in the bed or the girl would die, either way he would win.

Gibbs didn't have much time to answer because Tony lept into action. He had caught the man off guard, taking his own body and knocking the man forward, the knife slipping from his hand as Tony ripped the IV tubing from his arm and wrapped it around the man's neck.

The man couldn't hold onto the girl and attempt to pry the tubing from his own throat, his firm grip around the nurse was loosened due to the lack of oxygen to his own lungs, he was about to black out. His arms went finally went limp and his hold on the nurse ended, as did his ability to stay conscious.

As Tony wrapped the IV tubing even tighter around the man's neck it caused the man to audibly gasp for air, due to his inability to breath.

Abigail fell to the floor as the two agents went to work at subduing the would be killer.

" Tony, we have him. You can let go now." Gibbs whispered to his agent as he took the gasping man from the agent's grip. A part of him wanted to Gibbs slap his agent into next year but another part, the Marine, was as proud of his second as any boss could possibly be at the moment.

"She okay?" Tony gasped, he too was out of breath, sweat beads were dripping from his forehead, his heroic actions were causing the bruise on his forehead to ache even worse than it had before. When he didn't receive an answer right away he decided to check on her himself.

The young nurse was in tears, she looked terrified. He slid his bruised body over to her and gently took her into his arms. 'It's going to be okay, I promise."

"I'm fine Agent DiNozzo. Thank you for saving me. " She struggled to speak the words, her throat raw from the strangled hold that had been around her neck. She placed her arms around him and held on tight.

All Tony could think of at that moment is that he wished he could have saved EJ, he would have given his life for hers in an instant.

Gibbs and the agent escorted the now handcuffed man out of the room. The attention was now more focused on one of their own, Abigail; which was just fine with Tony. He needed a break from all of the medical attention.

Gibbs hated to leave Tony but he was the only one who knew the significance of the man in cuffs, he would have to trust that Ziva and McGee would watch their partner, he just hoped they would not allow Tony to leave before he was ready to leave. Tony was a great bullshitter.

A slew of medical personnel and security staff were swarming around the room now, he felt as if he had just fought two rounds of boxing with Gibbs, his body was exhausted and sore.

The staff assisted Tony back into the bed, Abigail was placed on a stretcher to be taken down to the emergency room.

"She will be fine." assured his physician.

Tony nodded, she was young, she would probably be fine after a few therapy sessions. Maybe that is what he needed, suddenly he missed Kate's sister but not the psychoanalytical bullcrap or the therapy session, maybe he just missed Kate.

He had watched her die too, assisted her into a standing position so that Ari could get a kill shot. What had he done to the women in his life that he cared about, other than watch them die?

McGee and Ziva entered the room, concern showed in their facial expressions and in their voices. "We're here Tony." a winded Tim announced as they walked through the door.

Gibbs had called them regarding a threat to their partner's life. The guard outside told them how Tony had subdued the man.

"You okay Tony?" Ziva asked as she watched the medical doctor re-examined his patient, wishing he didn't have to do it in an almost public fashion given all that was going on in the room.

"We were worried about you Tony." McGee felt protective of his friend and hated that his life had been threatened again.

" I'm fine Tim, Ziva. I was just telling my doctor here that I just want to go home." He was tired of being in the hospital and he knew Kate's sister would be back to psychoanalyze him soon if he wasn't discharged, he didn't need, _want_, anymore psych sessions. He wanted to go home and watch movies and not worry about the mission.

" Were you able to keep your breakfast down this morning?" The doctor asked as he probed Tony's abdomen, looking for any injury that his patient might have incurred from his connection with the man who had attempted to kill the nurse just minutes before.

Tony hated to lie to the man, but he couldn't put anymore lives at stake so he decided a half truth would suffice, glad that Gibbs wasn't there to bust him.

" It went down the drain just fine and it stayed." Tony gave the doctor a bright DiNozzo smile and hoped that the doctor didn't figure out that he was lying to him.

Ziva looked over at Tim who seemed as concerned as she was at Tony's behavior. Tony had actually called them by their actual names, no witty response to their question, no sarcastic remarks, so unlike their friend. She would have to keep an eye on her partner, he was not acting like the Tony they all knew so well.

" I'll write your discharge order and get somebody to dress that arm." The doctor informed his patient, his arm was still bleeding where he ripped out his IV line but it was well worth it.

"That was a pretty impressive move there Agent DiNozzo, I know Abigail appreciated what you did for her, I know we did." He gave his patient a smile and a firm squeeze to his left arm, he felt he owed him an early discharge based on what he had just done for one of their own. He would have to follow up on an outpatient basis though, he would make that clear to his patient in a more private setting.

_'That's her name, Abigail. I should have remembered that, Abby, Abigail. What is going on with my memory? Damned concussion.'_ Tony spoke the words to himself, glad that he at least knew her name now, but frustrated with why he couldn't remember it sooner, and hoping that he didn't forget it again.

Ziva watched her partner as she approached his bed, they had questions to ask, Gibbs wanted to know if Tony recognized the man who had made an attempt on his life.

'Tony have you ever seen that man before?" Ziva asked as she continued to visually assess her partner, looking for any signs to assess if there was possibly a greater problem with Tony other than just being concussed.

Tony hesitated, he closed his eyes, concentrating on the question just asked, hoping that he could come up with an answer. He couldn't remember seeing the man before, the man was a stranger.

"No, I don't remember him." His voice was raspy, almost a whisper, and it was filled with the pain that comes with being hunted like an animal. The worse part of not being able to remember was that he didn't know why he was being hunted.

"It's okay Tony. We have him in custody. He's not going anywhere." Tim tried to comfort the man in the bed. He had never seen Tony look so vulnerable, even when he had the plague he had not looked so empty, so sad.

Tony nodded, he suddenly just wanted to sleep. Inwardly, he just wanted to wake up and all of the past few months have just been a bad dream, _a nightmare_. "I'm tired." he announced to his partners, they nodded and started clearing the room, the crime scene was processed.

He laid his head down on the pillow, the noise around him becoming a soft hum as he allowed sleep to claim him, he was so very tired. They may have one man in custody but Stratton was still out there and as long as the man was free his life was in danger. It was a fact he had to get use to the reality, _to accept_, that EJ and Cade's fate might also soon be his. _Maybe that is what he deserved._

Ziva and McGee took their respective seats as the room cleared, they had a job to do, and that was to protect their friend.

**Okay, next chapter will deal with Tony's discharge, his illness will be revealed and he will eventually end up at Papa Gibbs house. Poor Tony.**

**Again, thank you, each and every one of you. I appreciate the feedback and your thoughts. This might be a recurring story, because Restless to me revealed a couple of things: One is that Tony's memory is still not right, something is off and another is that he is not acting like our Tony, he is acting too nervous, warning the others when Gibbs enters the room as if he is frightened by the man, and that is not Tony. **

**I think Tony is sick, and that is the direction I will go with my story, I will not give him anything that will kill him, he might cry a little but DiNozzo's can't be killed in my fanfic world. lol**

**Review if you can...always very appreciated. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**


	5. Chapter 5

The room was quiet now, Tony was sleeping on the hospital bed, finally sleeping a natural sleep. Tim and Ziva were outside his room, they wanted to give their partner the ability to sleep without being bothered by their talking.

Abby walked down the hospital corridor, her boot clinking with each step, the staff was use to her now, she was the sweetest goth they had ever met.

Abby had been to Tony's apartment to get him some clothes to wear home. Ziva had called her to inform her that he would be getting discharged after lunch.

She spotted Tim and Ziva standing outside Tony's door, they were in serious mode, their bodies tense, they were protecting their friend.

She rushed her steps to get to the door a little quicker, concerned that they were not in the room with Tony.

Ziva heard Abby coming down the hallway well before they could see her and when they saw her they both noted the concern etched on her face.

"Hey, is Tony okay." she asked worriedly, hoping that he had not taken a turn with his head injury.

"He is just fine Abby, we just wanted him to rest." Ziva responded as she eyed the black leather bag Abby had in her hand. "What do you have?" She asked as she pointed to the bag.

"Tony's clothes, I knew his other clothing was pretty much desimated by the emergency staff." She smiled and held up the bag. "W e all know what Tony likes."

"Tony will appreciate going home in style." Tim added as he opened the door to Tony's room, the lamp by his bed giving off the only light in the room, the shade to the window had been closed by Ziva earlier.

Tony was lying on his side facing the door, his soft breathing the only sound in the room. She stepped inside, placing the bag on the table, Ziva closed the door behind her to block out the light in the hallway and to give the two friends some time together.

"Tony." she called his name, wanting him to know she was there, her voice soft and low.

He batted long eye lashes open, he really looked like a little boy with his hair grown out. She could not help but to smile, he was always like a big kid, and she loved his infectious laugh and the way he could lighten a room with a joke. He seemed too quiet in the past day or so though and that worried her very much.

"Hey." he was finally able to manage to speak, his throat dry from lack of fluids, his fear of vomiting still hidden from the staff, he didn't want to delay his discharge.

"You okay?" she asked as she approached his bed. She had been unable to talk to him alone since Cade had died. She really wanted to tell him she was okay, that she understood, and that it wasn't his fault that Cade had been killed. She knew Tony would take the blame though, he had a knack for carrying the pain others caused.

"Yeah. Sort of, maybe." he answered, he knew better than to lie to Abby.

"I brought you some clothes to wear home." she pointed to the bag.

"Thanks Abs, that was nice of you." He was filled with all sorts of emotions suddenly. The man she called her friend was dead and he was to blame. If he hadn't taken the assignment, if he hadn't involved EJ, if he had only listened to Gibbs then Cade and EJ would still be alive.

"It wasn't your fault Tony." she said the obvious, it was as if she knew what he was thinking, but after almost nine years together she felt that connection with her friend.

Tears welled up in his eyes, he could not speak for fear of allowing his tears to fall, for fear of allowing his emotions to overwhelm him. Finally after gathering himself he spoke the only words he could, "I'm so sorry."

The last thirty-eight hours had taken a toll on her friend and she wanted to make him feel better. It broke her heart to see him in such pain.

"I love you Tony, you are like the best big brother and I almost lost you. …..I don't know what I would do if I lost my best friend." She gave him the biggest smile and walked over to his bed, his body slid over and she crawled in beside him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Your my best friend too Abs." he whispered, into her ear, his voice cracking with emotion.

She continued to hold him tight as she felt his warm tears hit her face. They would have to protect him, because right now he was unable to protect himself from whomever wanted him dead.

**Okay, a quick chapter but I had to give us what the writers seemed to have forgotten to write.**

**Things I noted last night...Another head slap...that makes three this season. Tony is drinking a lot of coffee, wonder if he is staying awake working on another case at night, possibly looking for EJ? He is still off... I still think there is more to Tony than just clown Tony. We will see... another chapter soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

Tony made his way to the bathroom to get dress, the nurse would be in soon with his discharge papers. Abby sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Tony to finish getting dressed to go home.

The door opened and in walked a nurse, her name tag read Jenny. " Is Agent DiNozzo in the bathroom?" she knew the answer but it was a way to make conversation with the young lady sitting on the bed. She couldn't help but to wonder if she was the handsome man's girlfriend.

Before Abby could answer the nurse's ascom rang and she quickly answered it, "Jenny." She paused a few seconds listening to the caller on the other end and then stated , "I'll be right there."

"Tell Agent DiNozzo I'll be right back, I have a little bit of an emergency with another patient." She gave the woman a smile then handed the discharge papers to Abby, "Tell him I'll be back in a few minutes, just look over the directions and I'll explain them when I return." She smiled and exited the door in a hurry.

Abby was curious as to what Tony was suppose to do for his head injury, knowing that he probably wouldn't follow the directions anyways, so she started reading.

It was the usual on the first page, follow up appointment with his primary care physician in a week, signs and symptoms to watch for, including increased headache, fever., nausea and vomiting, yada_, yada, yada. _He probably had multiple copies of these very instructions at home.

She then went to the next page of the instructions and that's when the color left her rosy cheeks. The instructions started out with an appointment with an radiologist/ oncologist, and ended with signs and symptoms of radiation therapy.

Tears flowed down her cheeks, she felt numbness and pain all at the same time. Her friend had a brain tumor. A tumor called a Meningioma, a benign tumor located in his right frontal lobe. The swelling from the injury to the head had evidently caused his symptoms to increase, _worsen._

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Tony." she repeated out loud. Her friend had a brain tumor, her Tony had a brain tumor.

She glanced towards the bathroom, the water was still running inside, so she continued to read. You will experience headaches, especially in the mornings, nausea and vomiting, balance problems, memory problems and even speech problems. She couldn't believe her eyes, the paper indicated that he had been diagnosed in May and that he had delayed his treatment due to work.

"Tony, this is so horrible, so freaking horrible." she said it out loud. She has upset that he had not told her, but more upset that he was attempting to handle this alone.

"Well buddy, we are going to have a talk." She wiped her eyes and attempted to regain her composure. A large part of her wanted him to tell her the truth on his own, to be honest with her, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Tony was a private man who had many secrets, that's why he made such a great agent, his ability to keep secrets.

She laid the papers on the bedside table and sat back down on the bed, she had to stay in control of her emotions, she would break down later in her own apartment. She had to be strong for her friend.

Tony opened the bathroom door and walked back into the small room, dressed and ready to leave. He was ready just to go home and relax in his own bed. He had a report to write and he was certain that Vance and Jarvis would want to meet with him soon. It was a matter of time before he got that call.

"Thanks for bringing my clothes Abby, they really feel good after wearing that gown." He wanted to thank his friend, let her know how much he appreciated her going to his apartment and getting his clothes, but when he looked up he saw red, tear filled eyes. "What's wrong Abby?"

She couldn't speak, she just pointed to the papers on the table. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she had seen his diagnosis, her emotion, her inability to speak, was to his tumor and his possible fate.

" Hey, listen, it's benign. I'm getting it treated with radiation. No biggie." he reached over and took the papers and glanced over them, making sure they didn't put another diagnosis on there, such as psychosis or paranoid schizophrenia, he was wondering about his sanity and wondered if the doctors had been wondering too.

" It is a biggie Tony. You have a brain tumor. " She stood and walked over to her friend and wrapped her arms around him, wanting him to know that she was there for him, and that she understood why he had kept it quiet. He was Tony, the man who masked not only his inner pain, but his outer pain too.

"Abs, listen, I've done a lot of research on my tumor and I'll be fine if I do what the doctors tell me to do." he gave her a strong hug and then looked down and gave her a big DiNozzo smile. "It's benign." he let her go and walked over to the window, starring out again at the evening sky.

"That is the part that worries me. You haven't been listening to your doctors Tony. You delayed your treatment to work on a case, a case that almost killed you." She spoke it softly, not wanting Tony to get upset but she knew he had a propensity for ignoring doctor's orders.

He had come back too soon from the plague, he had over done then, almost got blown up. and he was a lot less stubborn then than he was now.

"I'll take care of it Abs." he placed the papers on the window sill and walked over to the black bag sitting on his bed. He then pulled out his shoes and sat them on the floor, sliding his feet into the Gucci shoes felt normal. _It felt good._

He then looked back over to his friend as he retrieved the papers and placed them into the bag along with his white clothing bag filled with soiled clothing. His face took on a serious look. Then he spoke again to Abby, wanting to secure his secret. "Promise me you won't tell the others."

"But they're your family Tony. Gibbs needs to know, he'll know what to do, he always does." She wanted him to know that he needed them right now, more than he had ever needed them before.

"You can't tell Gibbs, Abs!" he felt panicked by that suggestion. He didn't want his boss to know yet, maybe later but not now. He sat down on the bed and raised his hands to his bruised face and scrubbed at it, wanting to scrub away his pain, the stubble on his face was rough to touch. He had not felt like shaving, the nausea still threatened and he didn't want to aggravate it.

" But Tony." She wanted to convince him, but she couldn't help but to see the pain in his face as he begged her not to tell and the ache in his voice.

"Promise Abs. Please." His voice had a desperate tone, he was pleading.

She walked over to the bed and placed a hand to his cheek, she then bent down and kissed him gently on the side of his face, like a sister would a brother, who had just received bad news. "I promise."

"Thanks Abs, I appreciate you doing this for me." he pulled her into a hug and allowed himself to relax, his secret was safe with Abby, that he knew for a fact. She was a true friend.

A knock at the door caused both Tony and Abby to startle, each straightening up and wiping away the tears from their faces. They had to put on their best face.

The nurse returned as she said she would, more papers to sign in her hand.

"Are you ready to go Agent DiNozzo?" she asked as she walked over to the bed and handed him more information from the physician.

"As ready as I'll ever be" he looked over the papers she had just handed him, there were several prescriptions for pain medication, for infection, for nausea, and for dizziness.

"Listen, I need to do one more neuro exam and give you this antibiotic before you leave. Your physician wants you to take this antibiotic for your low grade fever. He also wants to follow up with you if your fever increases greater than one-hundred degrees." She handed him the pills and a cup of water.

Tony looked down at the pills and knew there was no way he would be able to keep them down, he was more nauseous this afternoon than he had been the day before.

"He hasn't had his lunch yet. I probably wouldn't allow him to take pills on an empty stomach. He has always had a knack for vomiting anyways. He has a nervous stomach." Abby intervened for her friend.

Tony gave her a wink, he appreciated what she was trying to do, and he was thankful for such a friend.

The nurse realized that the lunch trays still had not been delivered and the doctor wanted to make sure his patient did not vomit his lunch up, he also wanted his patient to urinate before he left to get a urine specimen.

"Okay, you need to eat anyways before I can discharge you and I need a urine specimen. I'll bring the pills back in a while." she gave him a smile, had him sign his discharge papers and then she left the room.

"That was close. Thanks Abs, again, I owe you." he reached over and grabbed his bag, it was time to leave, he wouldn't be staying for lunch, the discharge papers had been signed.

"Like, you so big time owe me." She grabbed the bag from Tony and headed for the door, "I'll get Tim to get you a wheelchair."

He nodded and watched as she started to leave the room. He suddenly realized how good of a friend Abby had always been, and he was actually glad she knew about his diagnosis. "Hurry Abs, she'll be back soon."

Abby nodded and exited through the door, giving Tony a few minutes to himself. He felt relieved that he would not be alone in his journey. He wondered how he would be able to tell the others, to tell Gibbs. He hoped he could do it but the thought scared him. How they would treat him? Would they pity him? _ Feel sorry_ _for him_. He hated the thought of his team not being able to count on him to do his job.

He waited for his ride, he was ready to go home.

**Meningioma is a benign tumor found in the brain but if left untreated it can kill the person. It is a slow growing tumor, maybe that is why our agent thinks he can handle this on his own, why he is not telling the others. It can be painful and a head slap might exasperate the pain. It might be more than the caffeine that is causing our Tony to be hyper...could be his pain meds too.**

**Will our agent make to his apartment? Well, we will see. Tony will need his friends soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

The ride home with Abby was quiet, he just wanted to sleep and that is what he did, all the way to his townhouse.

Abby pulled up to the new address he had given her, he had moved during the summer, just in case he was being watched, he needed a safer placed to reside.

She pulled up to the gate and pressed the keypad numbers Tony had given her before they had left the hospital. The place looked awesome, it was definitely for the rich and well to do.

She looked over at her friend who was sound asleep and as much as she hated to awaken him she tapped his shoulder, " Tony, you're home. Time to wake up."

He opened his eyes and looked around, he was way too happy to see his home. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his key as Abby was retrieving his bag out of the trunk.

"Wow, Tony you must of gotten a second job to live here." she was looking around at the view of the lake, tennis courts and a basketball gymnasium across from the large field that was probably used for either baseball or soccer, it was a sportsman's dream. It was actually a perfect Tony DiNozzo place to live.

Tony smiled, his secret inheritance from Uncle Clive would continue to be his secret only, " I work a lot of overtime, it pays to stay with Gibbs those long grueling hours and you have to remember working two assignments always brings in a little extra money, not a lot of sleep, but definitely some extra cash."

The last statement was filled with a little sarcasm, but right now he wasn't feeling the love for Jarvis or Vance.

Abby rushed around the car to stand by Tony, just in case he needed her but he seemed to be doing fine in the movement department so far, but he did look exhausted.

He walked up to the stoop and bent down to retrieve his newspaper and a wave of dizziness almost dropped him on his ass, but Abby saved him from doing a header into the cement.

"Tony... be careful. You have to remember that you just got out of the hospital, so no acrobatics today please." She gave him a small smile and held onto his waist to give him some support.

"Sorry Abs, guess I'm a little bit dehydrated. I didn't want to drink and vomit, they would've set me up a permanent residence there if I had."

"Indeed, they would have Tony." Abby took the keys out of Tony's hand that still had tremors. She was concerned but would file it away for a later time to ask that question, sure it was a symptom of the brain tumor. Right now it was one symptom at a time.

She placed the key into the lock and turned, the door opened and Abby was stunned at what she saw in the room. The room was decorated in almost a James Bond fashion and it was immaculate, the decor was perfect for her friend. It was just so very Tony.

" Okay Tony, come clean. The rich uncle did leave you his fortune. You lied to us, _me_." Abby accused as she stood at the door amazed.

Tony didn't answer but instead he waved Abby into the foyer then closed the door and that is when he noted his alarm wasn't set, Cici had to be around, his housekeeper, and Aunt extraordinaire.

"Cici!" he called out as he made his way towards the living room area, "You here?"

"Oh my, is that you Anthony?" a short statured, tanned woman in her late fifties, with peppered gray hair pulled back into a bun, and a smile that could light up a room entered into the e hallway. She hurriedly grabbed Tony into a hug then just as quick pushed him back , still holding tight onto each of his arms and examining him closely with a look of concern. " Anthony cosati è molto male. " Cici spoke in rapid Italian, her hands now on Tony's face, checking for fever and checking out the abrasion to his forehead.

He reached up and took her hand away from his fevered skin and gave it a gentle squeeze, "Sto bene Cici, sto bene. Te lo prometto. Allora, cosa c'è per cena?" He wanted to assure his beloved Aunt that he was fine.

"Ahhh, person who speaks English here." Abby interrupted.

"Cici, this is Abby." he turned to introduce his friend, co-worker.

"Ohhh, this is the beautiful scientist you are always talking about. So good to meet you Abby." she walked over and took the pigged tailed goth into her arms and gave her a firm Italian squeeze.

"Good to meet you too Miss Cici." she smiled and gave the woman a hug in return.

" Anthony. Where are my manners? You two must be starved. I'll fix you something to eat." she pointed towards the living room. " Anthony, show our guest the living room. I will call you in a few minutes, this is so exciting to have you home again, But don't even think I didn't noticed that lump on your head, You will be going to bed right after lunch." Cici meant business, Anthony had a way of getting into trouble and she continued talking as she entered the kitchen.

"Bet she's a hand full." Abby teased, as she started walking around the large living room area.

" Bet she says the same thing about me." He smiled as he walked over to the leather couch and took a seat, but Abby continued to look at the pieces of art and antiquities that must have belonged in the Paddington family for a long time.

" Tony, you have so been holding out on us. This place is magnificent. She was now checking out the marble chess set that sat on the cherry coffee table.

"Abby, this is exactly why I don't let people into my private world. It really isn't me in so many ways. I am way more simple, _common_. "

Abby walked over to where Tony had slid into a lying position on the couch. He looked exhausted and she wished that she was able to get Gibbs by her friend's side, he always seemed to be able to ensure that Tony took care of himself, well, most of the time at least.

"Hey, you want to go to bed? I'll tell Cici that you took some pain medication and that you are too tired to eat." she wanted to comfort Tony, protect him.

Tony opened his eyes and wiggled his eyebrows. "Too tired Abby but try me again later." he teased, a part of his true self shining through his pain.

"DiNozzo, really?"n Abby punched his arm.

" Owww, I was just teasing Abs. That actually sounds great though. Could you assist me to the bedroom?" looked up over his friend who was already by his side ready to assist. He gave her hand a squeeze as helped him to his feet and guided him into his bedroom, the decor a mixture of James Bond and Cagney.

"This place just gets better and better." she mostly spoke it to herself as she assisted Tony to his bed . Abby then pulled back his comforter and helped Tony into his pajamas, well, actually a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

"Hey Abby." Tony's voice was a low whisper.

" Yeah Tony, can I get you anything else?" she asked as she pulled the comforter up against his warm skin.

" Our secret." He wanted to keep his place and his wealth their secret, he didn't want people to think anything different regarding his lifestyle.

"No problem, but I might make more of a habit coming over and watching old movies in that theater of yours." she bent down and gave him a kiss to his forehead, which was very warm, and inwardly she wondered if she had done the wrong thing bringing Tony to a place where only she was allowed to visit.

Cici was standing at the bedroom door looking inside, she was worried about her nephew, and wondered if he would be able to overcome the same type of tumor that had killed his mother. She would have to be vigilant regarding his health and maybe get the man whom Tony considered his mentor more involved, sometimes caring for Anthony was a lot more than even she could handle.

**NCIS**

"What do you mean that he left the hospital without complete clearance?" he asked as the others looked on at the reddened face of Leroy Jethro Gibbs grow even redder.

He seemed to be listening intently to the person on the other end of the phone when Tim's phone rang. He could hear Tim talking to Abby , just the person he wanted to speak to, the one person who could have assisted Tony in his quick disappearance from his hospital room.

He hit the red button on the cell, the call ended, he then stood from his seated position at his desk, sending his chair crashing against the cubicle wall. The action causing the bat that stood beside his filing cabinet to fall, the sound echoed through the bullpen as it bounced on the bare concrete floor against the wall.

Grabbing the phone from Tim's unsuspecting hand he started to drill the goth, "Where the hell is he? He left without the permission of the medical staff Abs. What were you two thinking?" His words were strung together, anger punctuating every syllable.

_Abby looked at her cell and started to hang up, this was not the Gibbs she was use to and she did not like his tone. She was waiting at a local drug store for the pharmacist to fill Tony's multiple prescriptions and needed for the man on the other end of the line to take a breath and to listen, but all she was getting was the second B in Gibbs name screaming into her ear. _

_She knew she had to take a different approach if she wanted to get his attention, "Listen here Gibbs, I need your help but until you can talk nice I can't assist you with this information." she hung up the phone, cut off her cell and started back to the counter, hoping inwardly that she was getting his attention, in a good way._

Gibbs looked at the phone with shock, what had just happened? Did Abby just hang up on him? What the hell?

"Did she hang up on you boss?" Tim was shocked at Abby's actions but down inside he was quiet proud that she had stood up to Gibbs. Thinking that he would edge on the safe side he stepped backward a couple of feet, not wanting the phone to hit him when Gibbs threw it, _the boss was upset_. "I can try to call her back." Tim was nervous, his voice cracking, he knew how Gibbs acted when one of them were in trouble or ill.

Gibbs calmly laid the phone back into its cradle and walked back over to his desk, " I messed up. If she calls back tell her to call me on my cell." he walked over and grabbed his cup of coffee, he needed to talk to Ducky, then hurriedly walked towards the stairs.

**Autopsy**

Ducky was facing the wall as he heard the whoosh of the doors, he knew immediately that it was Jethro entering. Bulls have a hard time keeping their presence a secret.

"Jethro, what brings you down" I know we don't have a case right now." The medical examiner attempted to deflect.

"You know why I'm here Duck. Where's Tony" he asked, keeping his voice calm but his facial expression gave way to the storm that was brewing inside of him.

"Actually I was wondering the same thing. I just spoke to Ziva and our Anthony was neither at his condo or Abby's apartment. I was hoping that you could shed some light on where he might have gone, I am still concerned about not only his health but the fact that he identified the suspect and that suspect is still out and about." he looked at his friend and hoped inwardly that he did find Tony before Stratton found him.

Gibbs believed his friend and turned to leave, Ducky was right he needed to find DiNozzo and assure his safety but he need to ask one more question that had been gnawing at him since he left the hospital.

"Ducky, is there something I'm missing with Tony, other than the head injury?" he asked watching his friend's facial expression, looking for any hint that he might know something that he didn't.

But Ducky was too sharp, he had taken an oath many years ago to keep medical information private and he would not be breaking that oath now.

" Only Anthony can answer that question, Jethro." He kept a straight face and then watched as an irritated Gibbs walked out of the autopsy room,slam his hand into the elevator button, then enter the door quickly, _the man was on a mission._

"Oh my, this is a predicament." The phone in his office was ringing and as he answered it he was surprised at the Italian accent, a woman.

" Is this Dr Mallard?" Cici asked, wanting to get assistance for Tony, who had been having dry heaves for over an hour without break.

"This is he. Whom may I ask is calling?" Ducky didn't recognize the voice.

"My name is Cecilia DiNozzo, I am Anthony DiNozzo's Aunt. I'm afraid he is very ill this evening. Anthony has a fever and he is throwing up severely. I do believe he trusts you and it would be beneficial for you to be here with him. Miss Abby is doing her best but he is still not doing well. She told me that you could assist." she explained.

"Of course I will come. Where is the dear lad?" he asked the woman on the other end of the phone.

Ducky picked up a pen and jotted the address down as CiCi gave it to him.

" I will be there straight way." he assured.

The end of conversation though was that it was a private address and that Tony preferred that he come by himself. Ducky agreed.

Ducky grabbed some supplies and his coat, he would go out the back way, he had to help his friend. Before he left he laid his cell on his desk, he would keep his promise to keep Tony's location a secret.

_" No GPS tracking tonight. Sorry Timothy not this time." Ducky spoke it out loud as he left his office._

**Yeah, going to finish this story this week, One chapter at a time. Hope you enjoy...Oh and in my world Tony is wealthy but nobody knows, and I still think Uncle Clive left Tony his fortune, they seemed a lot a like. ( Scent of A Woman). I believe he didn't want to leave team Gibbs and that was a possibility if they knew.**

**What? You want some Gibbs – DiNozzo time? I think I can arrange that in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Who knew that a tumor could cause one's head to feel like it was bleeding on the inside? He had thrown up more times than he could count and the pain that now ripped through his head and abdomen exceeded the numbers scale used in hospitals. He knew down deep that he would probably be spending the night in the hospital again, it was inevitable.

" Ducky is on the way Tony. He should be here any minute. Your Aunt Cici went out to the front gate to let him enter. And by the way, I really like her, she and Ducky would make such a wonderful couple." Abby continued to talked as she tried to soothe her friend who had taken up residence on the tile floor in the bathroom. She had placed a cool cloth to his head multilpe times but the heat from his skin warmed it up way too quickly.

They heard the door open and Abby quickly stood from her squated position, hoping inwarding that it wasn't Straton or Gibbs, though Gibbs would have been more preferable, but not by much, given his mood on the phone earlier. She quickly ran to the front door to allow them inside, Cici had made her bolt it securely earlier when she left to go to the front gate.

" Abby, where is Anthony?" Dcuky asked worriedly as he entered the emaculent condo. "Oh my, our Anthony does have good taste."

"He's in there Ducky!" she answered as they entered the bedroom then the bathroom. Abby then looked downward at Tony, "Help is here Tony."

The first thing he noted was the pale, clamy skin of his friend, the second was his very flushed cheeks, a sure sign that his friend had a high grade fever.

"Let's get him off the floor. Anthony can you assist us any?" Ducky asked as he attempted to grab a shoulder, Abby the other with Cici supporting her nephew's back.

If Ducky wanted a verbal response from his charge then he was definitely disappointed, all that Tony could do was give him a soft grunt. Together they were able to remove him from the now sweat soaked floor to the bed, the cool sheets a welcomed comfort against his fevered skin.

"How long?" Ducky asked as he removed the sweat soaked clothing, knowing that Abby would know the answer to the unspoken question.

"Almost five hours now. His speech was slurred earlier but cleared about an hour ago. He seems to be in a lot of pain Ducky." Abby explained as she grabbed clean clothing from Tony's dresser.

Ducky knew that Tony hadn't told anybody about the brain tumor diagnosis, but he felt that Abby needed to know that all the symptoms weren't due to the concussion."Abby, I need to tell you something but it will have to be kept in the strictest of confidence."

"I know. I found out at the hospital. He told me that the only other person that knows is you." she gave him a sad look, she really hated that this was being kept from Gibbs.

Ducky nodded then went about checking on Tony. He pulled out his stethoscope and placed it on Tony's abdomen, then gently pressed on each quadrant. Tony opened his eyes and in a very low voice he let the ME know that he was tender.

"Hurts a lot, Ducky." He then reached down to push away the hands that were causing the increased discomfort to his already tender abdomen.

Ducky nodded and obliged his patient's wishes, he knew that the persistent vomiting was causing the soreness.

"Anthony, I need to do a neurological exam and then I will be done." He wanted to keep Tony aware of what he was doing, he didn't want to startle him or cause him anymore pain or discomfort.

"Sure. My name is Anthony DiNozzo, I am an agent for NCIS and I have a damned brain tumor that is causing me to vomit like a banchee." he muttered underneath his breath, but loud enough for all in the room to hear.

The door bell started to ring, interrupting the exam. Ducky and Abby looked nervously towards Cici. They weren't expecting company and from the surprised expression on her face, neither was she. They realized in unison that nobody had rang the buzzer to ask permission to enter the gate. Who could it be at this time of night?

" Cecilia, are you expecting visitors?" Ducky asked as Tony started moving around on the bed.

"No, I don't know who it could be." she answered nervously.

"Here, Ducky, take my gun." Tony had reached over on the nightstand and retrieved his weapon then handed it over to his friend.

Ducky took the glock and lifted off the safety, " Cecilia, Abby stay with Tony." He directed as he made his way towards the bedroom door, closing it behind him as he left the room.

"Should I call Gibbs now?" Abby asked with a tremble in her voice, she had respected Tony's privacy but now she knew that they could all be in danger and Gibbs needed to know.

Tony nodded, he would never jeopardize his friends, or his aunt. If it was Straton they would all surely die if Ducky was unsuccessful. Tony had noted years ago how his mentor's hand had started to shake and he doubted that Ducky had been on the shooting range in years. He could only hope that the medical examiner would be able to get off the first shot.

Abby quickly dialed the number after booting up her phone, the door bell persisted in ringing and just as the door bell stopped, so did the ringing of Gibbs phone.

"Abs, I'm here." Gibbs voice not only resounded in the phone but also in the living room. She jumped up and ran to open the bedroom door, he was there, he somehow had figured it out. " You have one hell of a gut Gibbs." she spoke it out loud, amazed that he had figured out where Tony lived but suspecting that he had followed Ducky.

"How did you ever find us Jethro?" Ducky asked as Abby and Cecilia entered the room.

"I had Tim place a GPS detector on your car years ago, can't have another Ari moment, can we Duck?" Gibbs answered, looking around for his lost agent, hoping that he didn't strangle him when he did see him. "Where's Tony?"

Abby pointed towards the bedroom, and it took only a few seconds for Gibbs to reach the bedroom door. He caught a glimpse of his agent as entered the bathroom, the retching a dead give away that his second was not well.

"Ducky!" Gibbs shouted as they entered the bedroom, following the gut wrenching noises, finding Tony kneeled on the bathroom floor, hugging the commode, his stomach attempting to empty its stomach contents, but there was no more left to empty.

Gibbs went over and grabbed Tony around the waist, supporting him, wanting to protect him but seeing that he was useless against the pain and the fever that was overwhelming Tony's body.

"What the hell's wrong with you DiNozzo?" he whispered close to Tony's ear. It wasn't asked harshly, but in such a manner that it made Tony wince with guilt. Guilt that he had kept his illness from the one man he knew he could trust with his life.

"I have a damned tumor the size of a walnut in my frickin head. " Tony reached up and grabbed the side of his splitting head with both hands, the pain was unbearable. " And it's one hell of bitch keeping down anything but spit and even that is becoming a problem.." Tony choked out the confessing words between his retching jags.

The honesty stunned Gibbs and it almost caused him to lose his balance as he sat behind Tony, holding onto his friend just a little bit tighter. He remained speechless though, unable to come to terms with what his second had just confessed.

Ducky almost on que appeared with a syringe and an alcohol swab, Tony didn't waste any time pushing down his sweat pants to expose the bare skin on his hip. Gibbs looked over at his friend, Tony had to be in a whole lot of hurt to allow a needle to be so easily plunged into his muscle.

Ducky took care of business and then returned the pants to their original position. Both Gibbs and Ducky assisted their friend back into the bedroom, basically carrying his weak form.

When Tony was finally drifting off in a drug induced sleep Gibbs waved Ducky into the living room, his face red with anger, his hands shaking. "Duck, when the hell were you going to tell me. When he died? What the hell were you two thinking?" Gibbs felt like hittng something as he paced around the expensively decorated living room, he had never been so mad, _so damned stunned_.

" It's what he wanted Jethro. He didn't want our pity or sad faces looking at him, he just felt as if he could deal with it himself, but fortunately for us our Anthony failed." Ducky explained.

"So why did he tell you and Abby?" Gibbs asked, feeling disappointed that Tony had been unable to confide in him.

" We both learned about Tony's diagnosis accidently. I was told by his ER physician and Abby saw Tony's discharge papers. If we had not learned about his diagnosis in this manner then he would have never told us, he would have suffered silently until he could no longer hide his secret, unfortunately, tonight would have been that night for all of us, he is in a lot of pain Jethro and needs to have the surgery soon." Ducky turned to see the pain etched on his friend's face, the threatening tears in his eyes.

" Could he die?" He had to ask, he had to know the consequences of the decision that Tony was facing.

Ducky walked over to Tony's video library, reaching up he lifted one of Tony's collectables off the shelf, "All Tony ever wanted was a family and with his new diagnosis of a brain tumor he was confronted with losing it all. If he lives through the brain surgery he could have permanent memory loss and if he doesn't have the surgery then he will die a very painful death as did his mother."

"Then he needs the brain surgery Duck, there is no _what if's._ We can't lose him._ I can't lose him." _Gibbs gruff voice startled the ME.

"It's not that easy now. He was diagnosed in May of 2011 and refused treatment when he was given the assignment from Sec Nav, Jarvis refused to allow anything to interfere with the mission, and that included Tony's multiple requests to be dropped from the assignment. So, he finished the assignment, almost getting himself killed and a large lump on his head, which by the way is exactly over the same area of his frontal lobe tumor." Ducky scanned over the title of the film in his hand and smiled, _Its a Wonderful Life, _Tony's favorite.

"He can't have the surgery because of the concussion?" He asked, wanting to understand the MD.

" That is not entirely the reason Jethro. The tumor has grown, it has become too dangerous to remove in its present state, The radiation treatments Anthony is scheduled to start tomorrow will shrink the mass and make it more operable." Ducky placed the prized movie back on its shelf and turned towards Gibbs. " The tumor is too vascular in its present state, it could cause massive bleeding into the brain, Tony could lose all function on his left side, or his life, it is risky surgery."

The thought that Jarvis had placed his agent into such a predicament angered him even more and just when he thought he had heard enough Ducky gave his friend one more piece of unfathomable news.

" If Anthony's tumor is not treated soon he could slip into a coma, the size is getting more worrisome to his neurosurgeon. The timing of the radiation treatments are imperative to his outcome." Ducky finished his explanation and turned to enter Tony's bedroom to check on his friend. " He will need all of his friends Jethro to get through this but he will also need to be convinced that this is what he needs, I'm afraid that will be the difficult part."

Gibbs stood stark still as the words of his friend penetrated his mind, it just wasn't fair for his second, his friend, to have to endure the diagnosis of a damned brain tumor.

" Dammit Tony, you need to find out who put a curse on you." Gibbs mumbled the words to himself, nobody had as bad of luck as DiNozzp, he _ finally took a moment to look around the condo,_ " Dammit Tony, you need to stop lying to those who care about you. Uncle Clive did leave you his fortune."


	9. Chapter 9

As he opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was that he was still in his condo, the smells and the sight of his personal belongings almost made him feel giddy, they had not taken him to a hospital.

As he started to roll over in his comfortable bed he noticed a tug on his arm, then he saw the tubing and the IV bag hanging above on a coat rack. At least they are getting imaginative, he thought to himself as he attempted to sit up, his head was still sore but didn't have that pulsating pain stabbing through it like last night.

Then he noted the empty coffee cups, the filled trash can, the empty leather chair and he knew that Gibbs had been there, he should remember that but the memory was gray, not totally a memory but an image.

He disconnected the IV from the adapter, years of experience at doing this task had taught him to reach up and cut off the fluid first so it wouldn't keep seeping out on his expensive comforter. He then stood, taking a moment to get his balance before proceeding to the bathroom. He still felt like hell but a better version of hell than last night.

Within seconds after Tony had gotten into the bathroom he heard someone call his name and suddenly a face appeared behind him, it was Abby.

"Do you mind, Abs?" he was embarrassed that the goth stood at the door, looking as if she was sizing him up, the Cheshire grin on her face made him blush as he finished his business.

"You would think that I've never seen you naked Tony." she smiled and walked over to the sink where he stood washing his hands.

"Okay, once. Okay, maybe twice." he seemed to be trying to remember just how many times when Abby interrupted his thoughts.

" How are you feeling this morning?" she gave him a crooked smile as she stood there in just a t-shirt and a pair of underwear, she looked sexy cute.

Tony gave her a small grin and looked over at her," Like my head is actually human again. Guess that won't last long though." he glanced back towards the mirror, he couldn't help but to ponder his possible fate once he had the surgery, would he be a raw vegetable or half a man, neither seemed palatable to him. Maybe a gun, a bullet and a lonely motel room would actually be more preferable. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, it was going to a long day.

"You need to get ready Tony, Gibbs went home to change his clothes, Ducky and Agent Andrews are in the kitchen having a up of coffee, well actually, Agent Andrews is drinking coffee, Ducky is sipping on his tea.

" No McGee or Ziva?" He couldn't help but to wonder why Gibbs would choose a stranger over his own team, but he figured it was a act of respect for what he wanted, at least a part of his privacy had been left intact.

" No, they still don't know and they won't until you tell them Tony." she reached around his waist with both arms, which seemed so much thinner than months before, and gave him a strong hug, he returned the gesture, grateful for understanding friends.

**Two hours later**

All four stood in the hospital waiting area, Abby, Ducky, Agent Andrews and Aunt Cici. Each worried for their friend, Cici's nephew. Tony was getting his first radiation treatment, and they knew he was nervous.

Tony had taken at least an hour to get ready for his first visit, he seemed apprehensive, scared.

"It doesn't hurt does it? Abby asked Ducky already knowing the answer would be_ no_, but she was still nervous for her friend.

"In Anthony's case I would say the answer in a 'yes', he really does hate being in a hospital." the ME gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and stood, he suddenly felt the need to check up on Anthony and Jethro.

Ducky made his way down the hallway to find the two men, inwardly contemplating what Tony must be going through and so hoping that his friend was being cooperative..

Tony hated needles, he hated hospitals and today he was getting plenty of both and his patience was almost completely gone. If it hadn't been for Gibbs standing guard at the door he would have escaped long ago, right after the ill effects of being poked and gorged with IV dye that felt like the fires of hell as it raced through his veins and the after effects of vomiting and shaking so hard that he thought he might just crack a tooth or worse. He had just wanted it to stop, he felt t hat he was actually ready to accept his fate of death, but he couldn't do that with Gibbs starring down at him with such a compassionate gaze, one that would have even made Charles Manson cringe.

They had done an MRI, then an MRA followed by a CT angiogram. Now they were finally doing his radiation treatment, the marks on his head were done so that they would be easily erased at the end of the treatment. He hated looking at the marks, he hated that the radiation didn't hurt, he hated that he felt like death would be more welcomed than lying on the steel bed with beams of radioactive material being shot into a damned piece of cancerous cells. He was tired, very tired and his battle had just begun. He honestly didn't know if he would be able to get through this fight,

Gibbs watched his charge from across the room. A feeling of helplessness filled his being as he watched Tony start to fight the disease that had been working on destroying his body for months now, a disease that had claimed the life of his agent's mother.

He wondered how Tony would make it through the next few months, that had been what the doctor said, it would take months of repeated treatments to shrink the tumor enough to be able to remove it without causing life altering changes in his health. He would have to watch over Tony, he wanted to watch over Tony. Tony was his first real friend other than Ducky since Shannon's death. He had a job to do, well, it was not really a job but in actuality, it was more like a journey to take with his friend. He would not fail his friend.

"We're done." the radiologist announced as he pushed a button that caused the machine to slide back and away from his patient. Tony appeared to be sleeping but Gibbs would not be fooled, he saw Tony's tear stained face, and his quiet demeanor and that was all that he needed to see to convince him that his second was having a difficult time.

After a few minutes Tony sat up on the table and turned towards the man who had given his treatment, "How many more?"

"This is your first of eight in a series of five, up will need seven more for the first round but it won't take as long since all the preliminary work was done today." He slid the machine back a little bit further and left the room, he wanted to give his patient a few minutes to deal with the news, to deal with his first treatment, the first was always the worst for patients, it was a reality check.

Gibbs stood still for a few minutes at the door, it took all he had to not go over to Tony and give him a hug, but he knew down deep inside that's not what his friend needed right now, it would be saved for later. Actually, right now, what Tony needed the most was to be alone with his decision, his decision to fight the cancerous tumor in his head, it had to be difficult for a man who seemed to have been beaten down a lot as of late. Tony had experienced a lot of difficult moments in the past few months.

Tony sat on the table a little bit longer, he would need to make a decision regarding treatments and what he wanted to do with the tumor that had grown substantially from his first visit according to his oncologist. Sometimes he wished that he could just board a boat and sail off towards no where in particular, he just wanted to be free of decisions, life and death moments, just be able to leave the world behind for a while.

Tony stood and grabbed his clothes, he had to get dressed, he had things to get done, one was to see if he could get the doctor to give him an antibiotic for the fever, he seemed to be developing a cough. He had to get to feeling more like himself, be able to work again, it was the only thing that was going to ensure his sanity.

"Ready to go Tony?" Gibbs walked over to assist his friend with his shirt.

"Yeah, ready to go Boss." Gibbs assisted Tony into his jacket and walked him towards the door.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked as he placed a steady hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Honestly?" he asked as continued through the door.

"Well, yeah, that would be nice DiNozzo." he answered, wanting Tony to tell him the truth.

" Scared shitless." He answered, giving Gibbs the opportunity to know that he was having a difficult time without actually saying those words.

" Me too Tony, me too." Gibbs guided Tony down the hallway, it was going to be a difficult year.


End file.
